Long-time government contractor with a history of blowing budgets and under-delivering gets new, lucrative NASA contract. Newsflash: SpaceX was never going to get that contract.
Sure you would. Because you've been programmed to think that everything that's built in a factory is nothing but "interchangeable parts" like Lego. The reality of the situation was quite different in WWII, and remains different in places where things are built by hand and not by computer. Do you think Bugatti has "low-skill" schlubs following instructions to build a Veyron? By that same argument, I can say that "most programmers are low-skill because they're just following instructions and linking code libraries together" (not true, I know).
A couple years ago, I decided to learn the art of building custom bicycle frames. I'm a smart guy, how hard could it be? Turns out, it's pretty fucking hard. Welding, machining, etc. != low-skill job. It's just a different skillset than what you use.
I have a boxer engine (horizontally opposed pistons) in my Subaru. The fuel efficiency on a four-cylinder sucks balls, to put it mildly. I go out of my way to drive conservatively and I'm still lucky if I can squeeze 24mpg out of it. To make matters even more entertaining, maintenance is a nightmare -- most pro mechanics want to charge me exorbitant prices because they have so little experience working on them, and when I've had to do routine things like changing the spark plugs, it takes a couple hours because I have to gut the engine compartment to get to the side of the engines where the plugs are located.
Nifty idea, and sure it probably increases power output and reduced friction as advertised, but fuel economy and maintenance considerations are shit, in my experience.
And when you configure the Zino so that it's specs are on-par with the Mini, the price exceeds $400 and the processor is still piddly compared to the Apple.
I've always been fond of the clicky keyboard -- the old IBM PC keyboards with the mechanically switched keys allowed me to type significantly faster than the newer stuff.
I found the Matias Tactile for my Mac a few years ago, and was willing to shell out the $100 for it. Have never regretted it, either.
"The researchers plan to connect several chips to create a circuit with a billion neurons and 10^13 synapses (about a tenth of the complexity of the human brain)."
Does anyone else think that it's a particularly bad idea to build George W. Bush out of hardware?
If Ciamillo's design work with bicycle parts is any indicator of his talent as an engineer, they'll pull this one off.
I'm fortunate enough to have a pair of his Zero Gravity (0G-Ti) brakes on my road bike, and they're insanely light (the pair weighs less than a Dura-Ace front caliper) and have been pleasant to work on, and require very little maintenance.
I think what's going to get missed in this is a "good for Apple!" variety of statement. They've created a whole new market for music, and provided a whole new revenue stream for the industry. That they've stood up to that industry previously on the issue of cost-per-track is admirable. Now they're willing to drop a whole channel that makes them a ton of money in order to hit back at the music industry's greed when most vendors would just bend over and take it.
Oh what a bunch of bullshit. Most consumers a.) have no idea what DRM is, and b.) don't care.
No, I'd be willing to bet that what's killing Blu-Ray right now is a lack of titles and the cost-per-disc. I can't imagine Joe or Jane Average wanting to pay $30 for a Blu-Ray disc (new release) when they can get the same thing for $18-20 at Target.
I think what's been overlooked by these employees is that they're always free to quit and find employment elsewhere. If I worked for a company (at an hourly wage) and they refused to pay me overtime, I'd do the smart thing: leave.
The thing is, I want a candidate that can be flexible and adapt to new situations. We've had a rigid, inflexible idiot behind the NSW (National Steering Wheel) for eight years now, and look where that's gotten us. McCain's just more of the same.
Why do it for them? Our "let us do it for you" mentality hasn't worked in Africa. Instead, the various reservations should work with banks to finance a wave of solar power plants on their land, so that they're making money for themselves, much like they have with the casinos. Let them make the money and re-invest it in their own communities and they'll be better off than with letting the big utilities come in, develop (and eventually claim "imminent domain") on what little land they have left.
"Surely with so many (especially young) people being 'web first' with not just their buying habits, but now in terms of what they do in their spair time, we'd expect more of them to want to get a career in it?"
I don't see how you can logically draw this conclusion. Prior to the Internet, we lived in a very TV-centric society (from an information flow point of view), and not everyone wanted a job in TV.
We live in a very car-centric culture now -- how many people do you see clamoring to design car parts or work in gas stations?
Just because there's a generational shift toward something "new" doesn't necessarily imply that everyone wants a job working in that field.
I'm not discounting the need for intel. I'm a big fan of the "big picture." What I'm not a fan of is monkeying around with a software UI while the bullets are flying. My eyes are my primary intel-gathering source. If you need to give me more data, speak into my ear and respond to my voice.
...and as a former soldier, let me just say that when your UI works without me taking my eyes off my environment, then I'll be interested. Lack of data is survivable. Lack of attention isn't.
Slashdot Mirror
Long-time government contractor with a history of blowing budgets and under-delivering gets new, lucrative NASA contract. Newsflash: SpaceX was never going to get that contract.
Sure you would. Because you've been programmed to think that everything that's built in a factory is nothing but "interchangeable parts" like Lego. The reality of the situation was quite different in WWII, and remains different in places where things are built by hand and not by computer. Do you think Bugatti has "low-skill" schlubs following instructions to build a Veyron? By that same argument, I can say that "most programmers are low-skill because they're just following instructions and linking code libraries together" (not true, I know).
A couple years ago, I decided to learn the art of building custom bicycle frames. I'm a smart guy, how hard could it be? Turns out, it's pretty fucking hard. Welding, machining, etc. != low-skill job. It's just a different skillset than what you use.
I have a boxer engine (horizontally opposed pistons) in my Subaru. The fuel efficiency on a four-cylinder sucks balls, to put it mildly. I go out of my way to drive conservatively and I'm still lucky if I can squeeze 24mpg out of it. To make matters even more entertaining, maintenance is a nightmare -- most pro mechanics want to charge me exorbitant prices because they have so little experience working on them, and when I've had to do routine things like changing the spark plugs, it takes a couple hours because I have to gut the engine compartment to get to the side of the engines where the plugs are located. Nifty idea, and sure it probably increases power output and reduced friction as advertised, but fuel economy and maintenance considerations are shit, in my experience.
And when you configure the Zino so that it's specs are on-par with the Mini, the price exceeds $400 and the processor is still piddly compared to the Apple.
"and impressive sales in India, Europe, and the US."
Funny, I work at one of the highest-volume bike stores in my state. Do you know how many electric bikes we sold last year? I'll give you a minute.
That's right. Zero.
You know how many electric bikes we sold in the last five years?
One.
So yeah, sales are "impressive."
I was going to ask if I could crash someone's launch party, but I'm pretty sure it'll crash itself.
I've always been fond of the clicky keyboard -- the old IBM PC keyboards with the mechanically switched keys allowed me to type significantly faster than the newer stuff.
I found the Matias Tactile for my Mac a few years ago, and was willing to shell out the $100 for it. Have never regretted it, either.
"The researchers plan to connect several chips to create a circuit with a billion neurons and 10^13 synapses (about a tenth of the complexity of the human brain)."
Does anyone else think that it's a particularly bad idea to build George W. Bush out of hardware?
If Ciamillo's design work with bicycle parts is any indicator of his talent as an engineer, they'll pull this one off.
I'm fortunate enough to have a pair of his Zero Gravity (0G-Ti) brakes on my road bike, and they're insanely light (the pair weighs less than a Dura-Ace front caliper) and have been pleasant to work on, and require very little maintenance.
...my study indicates that this is a correlation and not a causation. I show that a lack of common sense is more apt to cause hearing loss.
I think what's going to get missed in this is a "good for Apple!" variety of statement. They've created a whole new market for music, and provided a whole new revenue stream for the industry. That they've stood up to that industry previously on the issue of cost-per-track is admirable. Now they're willing to drop a whole channel that makes them a ton of money in order to hit back at the music industry's greed when most vendors would just bend over and take it.
Oh what a bunch of bullshit. Most consumers a.) have no idea what DRM is, and b.) don't care.
No, I'd be willing to bet that what's killing Blu-Ray right now is a lack of titles and the cost-per-disc. I can't imagine Joe or Jane Average wanting to pay $30 for a Blu-Ray disc (new release) when they can get the same thing for $18-20 at Target.
With the spotty performance of the GPS on my 3G iPhone, I don't need to worry about the NSA ever finding me!
Sweet! That'll make getting engaged this coming spring a much cheaper prospect!
Or did you mean calendar dating?
Like what? COBOL on Rails? Because awesome.
I think what's been overlooked by these employees is that they're always free to quit and find employment elsewhere. If I worked for a company (at an hourly wage) and they refused to pay me overtime, I'd do the smart thing: leave.
And yet, that movie wasn't nearly as traumatizing as Firewalker.
Actually, I'd file it under "so what?"
The thing is, I want a candidate that can be flexible and adapt to new situations. We've had a rigid, inflexible idiot behind the NSW (National Steering Wheel) for eight years now, and look where that's gotten us. McCain's just more of the same.
Why do it for them? Our "let us do it for you" mentality hasn't worked in Africa. Instead, the various reservations should work with banks to finance a wave of solar power plants on their land, so that they're making money for themselves, much like they have with the casinos. Let them make the money and re-invest it in their own communities and they'll be better off than with letting the big utilities come in, develop (and eventually claim "imminent domain") on what little land they have left.
"Surely with so many (especially young) people being 'web first' with not just their buying habits, but now in terms of what they do in their spair time, we'd expect more of them to want to get a career in it?"
I don't see how you can logically draw this conclusion. Prior to the Internet, we lived in a very TV-centric society (from an information flow point of view), and not everyone wanted a job in TV.
We live in a very car-centric culture now -- how many people do you see clamoring to design car parts or work in gas stations?
Just because there's a generational shift toward something "new" doesn't necessarily imply that everyone wants a job working in that field.
...Akismet is easy to configure. "McCain" took less than 10 seconds to add to my blacklist.
I'm not discounting the need for intel. I'm a big fan of the "big picture." What I'm not a fan of is monkeying around with a software UI while the bullets are flying. My eyes are my primary intel-gathering source. If you need to give me more data, speak into my ear and respond to my voice.
...and as a former soldier, let me just say that when your UI works without me taking my eyes off my environment, then I'll be interested. Lack of data is survivable. Lack of attention isn't.
You should definitely go visit the on-staff botanists. There's no plants there, but they're on-staff because they're experts on physics (one of them even "discovered" a magnetic monopole!) and used their skill with identity theft to get themselves on-staff.
And? They'll just bitch about how the resulting sound is sterile and cold, rather than the "warm, rich tones" of copper or gold cabling.